She was interrupted by her own hearing , as the sounds of sirens filled the
air. Hanibal quirked an eyebrow and gave Clarice an odd look.
"Agent Starling , you didn't happen to contact the local police in any way , did you?"
She shook her head , looking alarmed.
"No , I've been cuffed to this wretched chair the whole time."
Hannibal sighed , hand on his chin in thought for a moment.
"Well then , my plans are now interrupted." He stood from the table and swiftly walked around , undoing her hands.
"Come , Clarice." He said , motioning to the door and walking through to the hallway. Clarice reluctantly followed and Hannibal's voice boomed up the stairs.
"Athena , come down here , we've got to leave!"
Athena , as if waiting for him to shout , came prancing down the stairs at top speed. Obviously , she didn't want to be taken away by the police or had Hannibal locked up at the moment. He was growing on her , she concluded.
"Alright , Girls , come on now." He sighed somewhat sadly , heading for the back door as the sirens became more evident. Hannibal grabbed Clarice's hand and pulled her with him.
"Doctor , " She insisted "I never told you if I would come or not!"
He halted to turn his eyes on her thoughtfully , and Athena glanced at the front door nervously as she waited.
"Well?" Hannibal asked
Clarice frowned , composed herself , and nodded "Yes."
He broke into a charming smile and took her hand again. "Come then , Clarice , this would bea much happier and greater celebrated moment if it weren't for the police at our end."
The group staggered out the back door , Hannibal regaining his normal sense of balance and grace as he climbed into the drivers seat , and Clarice took the passenger. Athena hopped into the back and not the second she shut her door did Hannibal start the car and pull it out of the garage quickly. Instead of the normal road , where the blue flashing lights were becoming visible , he sped down the gravel garden path , which led to who knows where at the moment.
Clarice had pulled on her seat belt and was now gripping the side of the car as they flew down the road without headlights , though Doctor Lecter seemed to know where he was going , and Athena just held on the the seat as they hit a hole , almost throwing her up to the ceiling. She rubed her head and cursed softly under her breath , trying to find her seat belt.
"Hannibal…you're going to get us killed!" Clarice hissed at him as they almost flew into a tree but soon came out on level pavement.
"Clarice , I know what I'm doing." He sighed and flipped the head lights on. "We will take a bit of a twisted path to throw them off course , and then of course we will find a place of rest for the night. We must find where we will be tommorrow. I was not planning on having to suddenly evacuate the home. "
Conversation died , and fifteen minutes later , as athena was beginning to calm down to her normal heart rate again , Doctor Lecters voice broke the comforting silence.
"Athena…noone up here called those police. You were the only one up stairs , and the only phone is upstairs." He said quietly , peering at her from the rear view mirror.
She shook her head. "Doctor Lecter , I didn't call those police , honestly! I don't know how they knew you were there…if that man didn't call…and she didn't call…" Athena trailed off
Clarice sighed. "I do not know how they dound out about anything. I did not call them , I was out for an innocent little jog , not stake out." She remarked bitterly and continued "Pearsall , as you told me doctor , was just arriving from work. Perhaps a neighbour told?"
Hannibal shook his head. "No , there is someone out there who knows who we are and where we were…but I do not know who that person is or how they found out…"
He turned onto a deserted highway and flipped off the head lights again , occasionally an over head street light casting an orangish glow over the car's occupants.
"But whoever they are , will not last very long." He finished
Athena looked up at his face in the rear view mirror. It was the perfect picture of calmness yet there was a hint of anger and frustration in it. She took a deep breath and lay her head against the glass of the window , closing her eyes.
"Don't do that if you're going to sleep." Clarice's voice muttered as she turned around to look at Athena , "You might get shot , you realize."
Hannibal looked to Clarice and smiled somewhat. Athena nodded and lay down across the seat.
"Thank you." She replied
Clarice nodded and looked back around at Hannibal who was still smiling at her.
"I'm glad you decided…"Was all Athena heard before falling completely asleep.
"To come along , Clarice. It's been too long since I last saw you. Did you enjoy your letters?" Hannibal asked
She looked away , not bealiving what she was doing. "Hannibal , I'm currently running away from the FBI and all of the govetment , so I can be hunted by it by morning. This isn't the time to ask such things."
"Au contraire , Clarice , it is. Never a better time considering our situation. You had all of five seconds to think about your decision…so obviously it was already decided. Have you been thinking about it? About me? Trying to decide ahead of time if I and this life are worth sacrificing your carreer as an agent for? Or do you want that life back so soon , Clarice? I can give it back , Easily." He insisted.
She sighed "Hannibal , I have been thinking about it since our last meeting…at the lake house. I wondered if I made the right decision…right after the Lake House they gave me false pity , and then after Krendler went in the ground began accusing me of his death…it hurts , Hannibal…" Clarice looked back to him , "To devote so much of your life and put so much sweat and blood into something just to be told it's not good enough. That it would never be good enough. And to be mentally attacked just by the looks people give you every time you do something good…or correct…" Her voice broke slightly as the tears began to course again , and she turned her eyes on the road to help bite them back. " I just don't know what I am achtually leaving behind…there was nothing there…and instead of being grateful that's what scares me!"
Hannibal sighed deeply after listening patiently to her speech. He moved his hand over hers gently , the thumb re–attached massaging the top of her hand in a calming gesture.
"Clarice , it was a very cruel and wrong thing they have done , but you must set that aside now. The world can be your comfort for now on , Clarice , there is much more to be offered than your bureu."
She nodded and moved her hand over to grasp his.
"I know , Doctor Lecter…Do I cry of sadness or of joy?" Clarice asked quietly , her tears stopping now that she had said what she needed.
"Ah , Clarice…I do not see it is crying. I see it as a release…A truth revealed to the world. You are Clarice , and you are human. You are not the stoic Agent Starling that is so oftenly flashed over newspapers and tabloids , you are real and not a paper image the FBI uses to cover their mistakes and flaunt their mindless victories."
The conversation ceased with the understanding passed between them and Hannibal gave her hand a gentle squeeze in reply to the un said words that passed between them. As they neared a sign stating "Welcome to Indianna" some time later , Hannibal frowned upon it.
"Go ahead and Sleep , Clarice , we have a long Drive ahead of us."
A.N.: Well , This one was somewhat shorted but I think it turned out pretty well , yes? Let me know what you think , please!And thanks so much to the reviewers who have already done just that…reviewed!
"Agent Starling , you didn't happen to contact the local police in any way , did you?"
She shook her head , looking alarmed.
"No , I've been cuffed to this wretched chair the whole time."
Hannibal sighed , hand on his chin in thought for a moment.
"Well then , my plans are now interrupted." He stood from the table and swiftly walked around , undoing her hands.
"Come , Clarice." He said , motioning to the door and walking through to the hallway. Clarice reluctantly followed and Hannibal's voice boomed up the stairs.
"Athena , come down here , we've got to leave!"
Athena , as if waiting for him to shout , came prancing down the stairs at top speed. Obviously , she didn't want to be taken away by the police or had Hannibal locked up at the moment. He was growing on her , she concluded.
"Alright , Girls , come on now." He sighed somewhat sadly , heading for the back door as the sirens became more evident. Hannibal grabbed Clarice's hand and pulled her with him.
"Doctor , " She insisted "I never told you if I would come or not!"
He halted to turn his eyes on her thoughtfully , and Athena glanced at the front door nervously as she waited.
"Well?" Hannibal asked
Clarice frowned , composed herself , and nodded "Yes."
He broke into a charming smile and took her hand again. "Come then , Clarice , this would bea much happier and greater celebrated moment if it weren't for the police at our end."
The group staggered out the back door , Hannibal regaining his normal sense of balance and grace as he climbed into the drivers seat , and Clarice took the passenger. Athena hopped into the back and not the second she shut her door did Hannibal start the car and pull it out of the garage quickly. Instead of the normal road , where the blue flashing lights were becoming visible , he sped down the gravel garden path , which led to who knows where at the moment.
Clarice had pulled on her seat belt and was now gripping the side of the car as they flew down the road without headlights , though Doctor Lecter seemed to know where he was going , and Athena just held on the the seat as they hit a hole , almost throwing her up to the ceiling. She rubed her head and cursed softly under her breath , trying to find her seat belt.
"Hannibal…you're going to get us killed!" Clarice hissed at him as they almost flew into a tree but soon came out on level pavement.
"Clarice , I know what I'm doing." He sighed and flipped the head lights on. "We will take a bit of a twisted path to throw them off course , and then of course we will find a place of rest for the night. We must find where we will be tommorrow. I was not planning on having to suddenly evacuate the home. "
Conversation died , and fifteen minutes later , as athena was beginning to calm down to her normal heart rate again , Doctor Lecters voice broke the comforting silence.
"Athena…noone up here called those police. You were the only one up stairs , and the only phone is upstairs." He said quietly , peering at her from the rear view mirror.
She shook her head. "Doctor Lecter , I didn't call those police , honestly! I don't know how they knew you were there…if that man didn't call…and she didn't call…" Athena trailed off
Clarice sighed. "I do not know how they dound out about anything. I did not call them , I was out for an innocent little jog , not stake out." She remarked bitterly and continued "Pearsall , as you told me doctor , was just arriving from work. Perhaps a neighbour told?"
Hannibal shook his head. "No , there is someone out there who knows who we are and where we were…but I do not know who that person is or how they found out…"
He turned onto a deserted highway and flipped off the head lights again , occasionally an over head street light casting an orangish glow over the car's occupants.
"But whoever they are , will not last very long." He finished
Athena looked up at his face in the rear view mirror. It was the perfect picture of calmness yet there was a hint of anger and frustration in it. She took a deep breath and lay her head against the glass of the window , closing her eyes.
"Don't do that if you're going to sleep." Clarice's voice muttered as she turned around to look at Athena , "You might get shot , you realize."
Hannibal looked to Clarice and smiled somewhat. Athena nodded and lay down across the seat.
"Thank you." She replied
Clarice nodded and looked back around at Hannibal who was still smiling at her.
"I'm glad you decided…"Was all Athena heard before falling completely asleep.
"To come along , Clarice. It's been too long since I last saw you. Did you enjoy your letters?" Hannibal asked
She looked away , not bealiving what she was doing. "Hannibal , I'm currently running away from the FBI and all of the govetment , so I can be hunted by it by morning. This isn't the time to ask such things."
"Au contraire , Clarice , it is. Never a better time considering our situation. You had all of five seconds to think about your decision…so obviously it was already decided. Have you been thinking about it? About me? Trying to decide ahead of time if I and this life are worth sacrificing your carreer as an agent for? Or do you want that life back so soon , Clarice? I can give it back , Easily." He insisted.
She sighed "Hannibal , I have been thinking about it since our last meeting…at the lake house. I wondered if I made the right decision…right after the Lake House they gave me false pity , and then after Krendler went in the ground began accusing me of his death…it hurts , Hannibal…" Clarice looked back to him , "To devote so much of your life and put so much sweat and blood into something just to be told it's not good enough. That it would never be good enough. And to be mentally attacked just by the looks people give you every time you do something good…or correct…" Her voice broke slightly as the tears began to course again , and she turned her eyes on the road to help bite them back. " I just don't know what I am achtually leaving behind…there was nothing there…and instead of being grateful that's what scares me!"
Hannibal sighed deeply after listening patiently to her speech. He moved his hand over hers gently , the thumb re–attached massaging the top of her hand in a calming gesture.
"Clarice , it was a very cruel and wrong thing they have done , but you must set that aside now. The world can be your comfort for now on , Clarice , there is much more to be offered than your bureu."
She nodded and moved her hand over to grasp his.
"I know , Doctor Lecter…Do I cry of sadness or of joy?" Clarice asked quietly , her tears stopping now that she had said what she needed.
"Ah , Clarice…I do not see it is crying. I see it as a release…A truth revealed to the world. You are Clarice , and you are human. You are not the stoic Agent Starling that is so oftenly flashed over newspapers and tabloids , you are real and not a paper image the FBI uses to cover their mistakes and flaunt their mindless victories."
The conversation ceased with the understanding passed between them and Hannibal gave her hand a gentle squeeze in reply to the un said words that passed between them. As they neared a sign stating "Welcome to Indianna" some time later , Hannibal frowned upon it.
"Go ahead and Sleep , Clarice , we have a long Drive ahead of us."
A.N.: Well , This one was somewhat shorted but I think it turned out pretty well , yes? Let me know what you think , please!And thanks so much to the reviewers who have already done just that…reviewed!